My last view of the World Trade Centers was on Sept. 9, 2001, from the window of my Ethiopian Airlines flight going back to Addis Ababa from Washington D.C., with a stop at Newark airport.
It was a beautiful clear day, and I was returning from a conference at the U.S. Department of State to my assignment as the American Ambassador to Ethiopia. On takeoff we had a great glimpse of the majestic buildings towering over Manhattan’s skyline.
Tuesday, Sept. 11was New Year’s Day in Ethiopia in line with the country’s unique calendar, so the Embassy was closed. Our world changed forever when my Deputy called that afternoon (Ethiopia is 8 hours ahead of Texas time) and asked if I had seen the news – a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center
towers.
I had not, so I immediately turned on CNN international, and my deputy and I presumed it had been a freak accident.
That notion was quickly shattered when a plane struck the second tower, followed by a hit on the Pentagon, and the report of a hijacked plane going down in Western Pennsylvania.
Adding to the shock, our embassy communications center was suddenly cut off as rumors swirled in Washington, D.C, about other planes targeting other major government centers, and the U.S. State Department itself was evacuated.
There were also reports that a number of U.S. embassies around the world would soon be attacked. To say that our embassy community felt under siege is an understatement!
But a bit of relief came quickly. Almost immediately after the second tower was hit, Ethiopia’s leader, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, called me not only to pass on his personal condolences and the nation’s, but offered to immediately send additional security to our offices and residences and asked me to let him know what more he could do.
This was a reassuring gesture since Ethiopia borders Somalia, where an al-Qaeda linked group controlled most of the country and often infiltrated Ethiopia.
In the hours that followed, I received similar calls from almost every member of Ethiopia’s top leadership and from every other ambassador, even those representing nations - such as Libya and Cuba - with which America did not have diplomatic relations. (The only one who didn’t phone was the North Korean.)
By evening, Washington had restored communications and as oft happens during crises, the State Department directed me to heighten our security as much as possible for the Embassy and all Americans in country.
In addition, I received specific instructions from the White House to immediately approach the Ethiopian Government “at the highest level” and ask if U.S. military aircraft could receive quick approval to overfly Ethiopia as needed enroute to “other destinations.”
As it happened, that night I was invited to a formal State Dinner for the visiting President of Djibouti, and I was able to pull Prime Minister Meles aside to pose the request.
Without hesitation he said, “Give us 10 minutes notice and you’ll have your clearance!”
Not only did that restore some of my shaken confidence on a horrid day, but Washington was greatly pleased with this pledge of support.
Likewise, my fellow U.S. Ambassadors across Africa were receiving similar gestures of goodwill from their host governments.
The next day we cautiously reopened the Embassy with greatly enhanced security, and the most heart-touching thing happened.
As soon as we opened, ordinary Ethiopians – and this is a country where a great many people are in poverty – started showing up at the Embassy gate with flowers.
The marine guards asked me what they should do with the floral bouquets and I told them to place them around our flagpole.
By the end of the next day the bouquets made a mountain climbing a third of the way up the pole!
I was also visited early that next morning by the leaders of Ethiopia’s Islamic Council who, in addition to expressing their sorrow and sympathy for the American people, were furious that the terrorists had committed such atrocities in the name of Islam.
A few days later the Pope Paulos of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church – one of the world’s oldest Christian denominations with around 60 million followers around the world – organized a nationally televised mass memorial service in front of Addis Ababa’s largest orthodox cathedral.
Thousands and thousands of Ethiopians attended, along with members of the Ethiopian Government and the diplomatic corps.
The Pope himself led the service and prayers for our nation and our people.
American Ambassadors, in addition to being the President’s “personal representative” to the government where they are appointed, also serve as mayor for the entire American community in that country.
As with our Embassy staff, all of my “constituents” were in shock – grieving, hurting, and greatly concerned about their own safety and security. To burst this bubble of pain and foreboding, I knew that we had to bring everyone together for some type of catharsis.
We organized a memorial service for the entire American community a few days after 9/11.
Looking back 25 years later, I still consider planning that event one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do.
I had to present an exterior of calm and confidence when beneath the façade I was suffering the same extreme emotions as every other American, plus a sense of responsibility for the safety and security of my Embassy colleagues and larger community.
The service itself, attended by hundreds of our citizens, was deeply moving and served the purpose of allowing us to pour out our grief together as a “family.”
The most intense emotion from that period, which still stirs my soul, came several weeks later when I felt I could travel again within Ethiopia.
I made an official trip to the far north of the country, along the Eritrean border, to inaugurate some U.S. funded projects in Irob, a remote rural area which had been devastated by the recently concluded Ethio-Eritrean War.
The unfortunate people of Irob had been the most victimized in that war.
When Eritrean troops attacked without warning they killed, raped, destroyed every structure – including churches – killed the farm animals, and poisoned the wells.
The survivors were left to live in caves with nothing. Thanks to America’s generosity, much of what had been destroyed was being restored, and the grateful people of Irob put on a most elaborate ceremony.
An outpouring of international support for America after 9-11
After the formalities and obligatory speeches, the village elders asked to meet with me. I thought they would be presenting a list of more needed items – which routinely happened at such events.
Instead, I was overcome when their “ask” was what could the village of Irob do to help Americans, given that our nation had been attacked and our people were suffering.
For a period after 9/11 our nation was blessed domestically and globally.
We truly became, albeit briefly, the United States and united peoples of America.
Our political, ideological, ethnic, religious, racial, and geographic differences were subsumed under our common grief and determination to face our threats together.
President Bush captured this in his State of the Union message four months after the attacks: “As we gather tonight, our nation is at war, our economy is in recession, and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers. Yet, the state of our Union has never been stronger."
Another part of that strength, in combination with our unity, was the almost unlimited and universal goodwill and support from the rest of the world.
This mattered greatly in subsequent joint counter-terrorism actions and intelligence sharing.
Even Libyan strongman Ghaddafi, a long-term enemy of ours, offered help. In Ethiopia, in addition to incredible cooperation from the government, the then Russian Ambassador provided us specific information which likely saved my life.
25 years after 9-11
Now, 25 years later, that goodwill has evaporated. In our (Dis)United States of America every day brings new examples of how we dislike, distrust, and defame each other over our differences.
Our standing in the world has also diminished greatly, and in many cases it’s through our own self-inflicted errors. Our enemies already hate us and would delight in seeing us brought down.
But to go out of our way to insult friends for no reason and take needless steps which hurt them, but also makes us less safe, secure, and prosperous, is incomprehensible.
Tragically, if 9/11 happened today, I’m not sure our people would come together, and I’m certain the world at large wouldn’t have anywhere near the sympathy. I fear the old Latin proverb may yet bite us: “We are the authors of our own disasters."
For my part, I will always be grateful to the people and government of Ethiopia for their support to our nation, our community, our Embassy, and to me personally when it was needed most.
Ambassador Tibor Nagy most recently served as acting Under Secretary of State for Management in the second President Donald Trump administration. He also served as Assistant Secretary of State for Africa in the first Trump administration after serving as Texas Tech’s Vice Provost for International Affairs following a 30-year career as a U.S. Diplomat. Follow him on Twitter @TiborPNagyJr.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Tibor Nagy shares reflections of 9-11 from U.S. Embassy in Africa
